Bed of Nails

Chapter 32

I decided to go back to my office to take some rest, unaware of a surprise waiting for me there.

"Grace," I heard Evilyn calling me when I was about to walk into my office. It made me turn around, but I was still holding the handle. She rushed to me with her purse in her hand. I raised my brow in question. 

"Alex has work nearby, and he just got free. I'm heading to meet him. I will be back before the shoot starts," she said with a beaming smile on her face. A smile formed on my face as I looked at her happy face. She was smiling as if she were going to see him after all these years. They live together, and he drops her here every morning with a goodbye kiss. 

"Go, and you can be a little late. Aria and I can handle things," I said while sharing with her. Her blinding smile was making me blind. They are so in love, even after so many years. I'm happy for her. She chuckled and walked away with that beaming smile still plastered to her lips. I opened my office door with that smile still on my lips, but it faded as soon as I walked inside. I found him leaning against my work table. What is he doing here? His cold blue eyes scanned my whole frame. It froze on my spot. I was wearing co-ord checkered shorts and a matching blazer with a plain white top. It gave a good view of my bare legs. Grace, what are you doing? Keep moving. My inner voice screamed at me. It's what brought me back to my senses. I cleared my throat because I don't want my voice to sound weak when I talk to him. I want to show him that he does not affect me or his presence. I started walking to my chair. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked in my professional voice while not even sparing him a glance. He didn't answer my question; instead, he kept glaring at me. I was about to pass by him. 

"If you need anything, you can ask Alice. She will be happy to–” Even before I could complete my sentence, he took hold of my wrist and pulled me towards him. Before I knew it, he caged me between him and the desk. My heart started to beat fast. 

"What are you doing?" Again, even before I could complete my sentence, he placed his finger over my lips, shushing me. I felt tingles when he touched my lips. I looked at him with questioning eyes. 

"Listen to me carefully. I won't repeat it," he said in his calm yet spine-chilling voice. My eyes widen slightly at his tone. 

"You will not go to dinner with him," he said in his same calm voice, pausing after each word that made each word claw at my body. My slightly widened eyes looked at him in disbelief. Is he kidding me? Who gave him the right to walk into my office and throw his commands at me? I'm not his slave, who follows his every command and order leaving his mouth. I pushed his hand away from my mouth. 

"What am I, your slave who will do as you say?" I mocked him while trying my best to push him away, but that brute didn't even budge an inch from his place. I very clearly remember what I saw in his office. Even though it was fake, it still painfully scrunched my stomach. I lifted my hand and pointed my fingers at his hard chest. 

"Listen to me carefully. I won't repeat it. You have nothing to do with who I meet or who I spend my days and nights with." I said it on his face with a raging anger trying to burst out of me. His jaw clenched when I said the last part. His gaze moved to my finger, which was trying to drill a hole in his chest. An arrogant smirk formed on his face when I said that. He moved more forward, as if it were even possible. He bent his head to bring it to my level. 

"You have no idea," he said in his same calm voice, controlling his anger but still managing to send a chill down my spine. That arrogant smirk was still plastered to his mouth. His words had hidden meaning in them, and they spread a bad feeling inside me. 

"What do you mean?" I stuttered for the first time. That confident look in his eyes was making the wheels in my head turn left and right. His smirk widened when he saw that scared look arising in my eyes. He moved his mouth to my ear while brushing the tip of his nose on my cheeks. Once again, I felt those familiar tingles. I took a short breath and closed my eyes. I wanted to stop feeling those stupid, useless feelings, but who am I kidding? Some feelings go away with your last breath. 

"I would suggest you ask Daddy, dearest, about it," he mocked while whispering in my ear. His lips brushed my earlobe. Those words made my heart beat fast. I knew something was wrong. Dad had done something without my knowledge. I wanted to know what he had done this time, but I didn't want this devil to have the pleasure of seeing me in distress. I know why he was creating this stupid suspense. He wanted to see me suffer. I took a deep breath to control myself. I will deal with him once I'm done with his devil. 

"Whatever my dad dreads doing is not my concern," I said this time in a firm tone while putting both my hands on his chest to push him. It didn't make him move back, but it helped establish some safe distance between us. 

"I will go on a dinner with Noah, and you can't do anything about it. So better start dealing with the facts," I said in the same firm tone. My eyes are challenging him. Instead of giving me a degrading reply, a chuckle left his mouth. 

"Still so naive," he said with pity in his tone, saying that he stepped away from me. My jaw clenched, and my eyes furrowed in anger when he said that. He didn't say anything after that. Giving me a last glance, he walked out of my office after putting nonsense in my head. Only when he was out of my sight did my shoulders hunch, and I took a much-needed deep breath. I let my brave façade loose. I just want to strangle his throat with my bare hands. I kept taking deep breaths to calm myself. After that encounter in my office, I did my best to concentrate on my work and not spare a glance his way for any reason. I was acting as if he was invisible. It took the whole day for us to be done with the shoot. 

"What's with your mood?" Evelyn asked after we were done. 

"Nothing, just work stress," I brushed off while looking at the pictures. 

"Grace." It was Noah. It made me look in his direction. 

"Now that we are done, we can head out for the night," he said with a smile on his lips. He was hinting at the dinner. I was about to reply to him when I was stopped by a sudden announcement. His secretary stood with a microphone in his hands. 

"Everyone, I would like to have your attention, please," he said, wanting everyone to listen to him. Erick stood beside them with his hands in both of his pockets. Beaming Alice was standing beside him. She looked so excited. 

"My boss, Erick Villain, is so delighted to do this collaboration for the cause. All the people here were so comparative and easy to work with, so in return, he wants to thank you all. We have arranged a dinner for everyone. Drinks, food, and everything else is on us, so you could really get out and enjoy after this hard work. I request you all to join us," he announced, and everyone was so surprised yet so excited for the dinner. Aria and Evelyn cheered too, along with other people. What is his new plan? It won't work on me. They can all go. I will go with Noah. I was about to ask Noah to wait so I could grab my purse. 

"I want everyone to join us, even Miss Grace, for a team dinner to celebrate our coalition," he said in the last part, and everyone looked in my direction. He shifted the whole focus to me. I was caught off guard. My eyes moved to him, and I found him smirking in my direction with a triumphant dance in his eyes. Everyone was expecting me to say yes. I was caught in such a big dilemma. 

He purposely did it to get me into his trap.

That bastard! 

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